Robotics form an indispensable component of modern manufacturing industries, the medical profession, and many other industries. For example, robotic arms are commonly employed to perform that may be too difficult, dangerous or require more precision or force than a human worker can provide.
Robotic arms come in a wide variety of forms depending on the needs of the intended as articulated robotic arms which are composed of a plurality rotary joints. In some instances, robotic arms are composed of a series of rotating modules linked together such that the robotic arm can be manipulated in a manner that allows access to tight and twisting spaces.
Such arms are commonly made up of a plurality of modules shaped generally as an elongated member having non-parallel faces at each end, each face rotatably attached to a face of an adjacent module. A tool, camera, or the like is often attached to one end of the arm, and when the modules are rotated relative to each other, the tool can be manipulated in a variety of directions. Such modular arms are described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 7,836,788 to Kamon et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,148 to Larsson, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,597,025 to Narita et al.